Scott Mariani is the author of the bestselling thriller series featuring ex-SAS hero Ben Hope. Scott's novels have topped the charts in his native Britain and are translated into 25 languages. Scott was born in Scotland, later studied at Oxford and ended up living there. Deciding after university that a career in academia didn't suit him, he pursued his ambition to write for a living. During what turned out to be a long process of reaching that goal, he worked in various jobs before eventually leaving Oxfordshire and moving to the tranquil and beautiful setting of rural west Wales. The first Ben Hope book, The Alchemist's Secret, went on to spend six straight weeks at #1 in the charts and sell publishing rights across the world. Every book since has been a bestseller.